Partnerships for health sovereignty: Africa’s path beyond UNGA

AS THE world gathers for the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the global health agenda is once again under the spotlight.

- Dr Allan Pamba

And how the playing field has changed in just one year! For Africa, UNGA is an unmissable opportunity to ensure that the continent's priorities are placed firmly at the centre of global commitments.

Having said that, however, we must also seize the moment to look inward, prompting Africa’s decision-makers to take custody of their own destinies at country level.

The past few years have shown that progress cannot be taken for granted. Funding shifts, pandemics and political uncertainty have exposed the fragility of many health systems. But they have also revealed the ingenuity of African governments, communities, and partners at the edge of a cliff.

If there is one lesson to carry into this year’s UNGA, it is that Africa's health future will not be secured through external dependence, but through partnerships that are co-created, sustainable and grounded in sovereignty.

Partnerships and co-creation

Health systems are strongest when they are shaped through trust and shared responsibility - and collaboration on the road to universal health coverage is not just about funding streams or technical capacity. It is about bringing together ministries, industry, civil society and communities to design solutions that reflect local realities and priorities.

We have seen new healthcare cocreation models work in practice. In Zambia, when global funding disruptions threatened continuity in HIV and HPV testing, the Ministry of Health convened a national task force and worked alongside partners, including Roche Diagnostics, Pact (Private Agencies Cooperating Together) for HPV and CHAZ (Churches Health Association of Zambia) for HIV to protect services.